Graceful Tumble
by TigStripe
Summary: Tifa's life is interrupted by a young fistfighter who wants to take her on, but does he have what it takes to take on Zangan's best? FFVII AU, takes place after FFVII but before FFVII: AC.


Thought that I'd go for a new approach to a story – a "sequel" to a one-shot? O.O This is a second battle between two Final Fantasy characters, similar to my "Totally Ninjas," between Yuffie and Selphie. It's been a while since I've submitted anything, I hope someone reads this.

Hope you enjoy!

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**Graceful Tumble**

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The glass squeaked as the washcloth cleaned its inside. A second application of soap was applied to the inside in order to remove any leftover film inside the glass. It squeaked again as the soap was wiped out and the bartender could see their face in its glimmering surface. Music thumped softly from a sound system in the corner of the bar and the patrons were nonchalantly discussing this and that. It wasn't a club scene – the visitors were talking quietly and the music wasn't very loud at all.

The bartender brushed her long, dark hair out of her face and back over her shoulder. Her dark eyes glinted as someone entered the bar and a beautiful smile crossed her face in a warm welcome to him. She set the glass she was cleaning in its proper storage above the bar and turned her attention to the new guy.

"Welcome to the 7th Heaven," the bartender said warmly, flashing him another smile. "How can I help you?"

"What's your name, miss?" the man asked, flashing deep brown eyes at her as he leaned on the bar.

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "My name is Tifa, and I own this establishment. Please, can I help you?"

"What do you have that's hard in this place?" the man asked with the same flash in his eyes.

"We have an assortment of tall drinks that I can make for you," Tifa said, her voice not wavering from the man's obvious come-on.

"I'll bet that I have something harder and taller," the man responded with a grin.

Tifa's raised eyebrow returned to its previous position. In a flash, the man's front three teeth were sent flying across the bar as Tifa's knuckles turned red from the unprotected impact.

The man sunk to the floor, unconscious. Eyes from all around the bar stared for a moment, then saw that Tifa had returned to shining her drinking glasses, so everyone in the room returned to how they were. Socializing went back up to a dull roar and the music in the bar started up again.

"Nice," a man with cropped blonde hair cackled out of the corner of his mouth, the rest of his mouth occupied by a cigarette. He took it out of his mouth and let out a stream of smoke, flashing Tifa a smile.

"Cid, what have I told you about smoking that close to the bar?" Tifa asked, punching the man playfully in the arm. Her smile had returned and she was slightly giggling.

"I think it was sumthin' around 'Cid, if you smoke near the bar again, I'll smash your face in so far that you'll be smoking out your ass.' 'Course, I was drunk at the time, so I could have misheard ya," Cid replied with a laugh.

Tifa smirked and sighed, shaking her head. Her smile hadn't left her face. "How about you take that cigarette over there to the table," she said, pointing to an empty table.

Cid sighed and got up from the bar, heading over to the table. On the way, he bumped into a blonde with spiked back hair who had a massive tattoo on the left side of his face.

"Hey, watch it, kid," Cid murmured as he took his seat at the table.

"No prob, old man," the younger man replied, giving Cid a gloved finger. Tifa took note of this and raised an eyebrow again.

"Can I help you, young man?" Tifa asked. "You seem to me to be a little young for this bar."

The teen nodded and tilted his head, sending Tifa a cocky smirk. "As a matter of fact, you can. The name's Zell. You Tifa?"

Tifa crossed her bare arms, her black remembrance ribbon dangling from her left bicep. "Depends on what you're looking for."

Zell grinned. He tugged at the collar of his leather jacket, which was rolled up to his elbows. "I was told that old Master Zangan took the most pride in his pupil named Tifa. I was wantin' to see how I rated against someone like that."

Tifa's second eyebrow raised to match the first one. "You want to fight me?"

Zell's grin widened. "So you're Tifa. Funny, I thought that someone who knew how to fight would be less girly."

Tifa's second eyebrow shifted down, leaving her in a suspicious glare once more. "Zangan? How do you know him?"

Zell rubbed his nose with a thumb and grinned. "I have my ways."

"What's up, Tifa?" Cid asked, walking up to the bar. "Is this guy giving you problems? Wan' me to get rid of 'em?"

Tifa shook her head, her eyes not straying from Zell's handsome face. "No, but you can watch the bar for me."

Cid's eyes widened. "Eh? Come again?"

Tifa looked over at Cid. "Watch the bar. I'm going to go talk with Zell outside."

Cid looked at the bartender with a confused gaze as she stepped out from behind the bar. She disappeared down a hallway for a moment, and came out with a set of black leather fingerless gloves. She adjusted her sleeveless tunic and made sure that her shorts were where they needed to be. She also messed with the shirttail of her tunic to make sure that it was in the correct alignment. One little wardrobe malfunction could cause her a lot of efficiency in battle.

Zell grinned as his eyes traveled up and down the busty brunette's body. She was quite the specimen of female exquisiteness.

"I'm heading outside," Tifa said over her shoulder to the staring blonde. "Are you going to sit here and stare at my backside all day or are you going to follow me out so we can do this?"

Zell's grin widened even more, if that was possible, and he walked out behind Tifa, almost strutting. The two of them left the bar and found themselves in a populated street on the upper plate of Midgar. No one lived in the slums anymore – after Shinra had been put down, the people of the lower world all moved up onto the plate for free, where everyone donated to the new citizens' well-being. All in all, it was a very touching effort within the people of Midgar.

Zell cracked his knuckles and popped his neck as the two of them stood out in the middle of the street. Tifa took her time to put on her gloves, her eyes not falling on Zell again until she was finished.

"Let's get this over with," Tifa said in a bored tone of voice, flipping her hair back and taking an offensive stance with both fists forward. People were staring alongside the street, curious as to what the reputable owner of the 7th Heaven was doing in a fighting stance against some tattooed punk teenager.

"Couldn't agree more," Zell replied, taking a similar stance.

Zell lunged forward with a gloved fist, his sneakers squeaking on the street. Tifa dodged to the left and grabbed Zell's outstretched right arm. Throwing her weight into Zell, the bartender lifted Zell onto her back and she fell backwards, smashing him into the ground. Tifa did a backwards somersault, getting to her feet in the act of acrobatics. Zell jumped to his feet and sent a roundhouse towards his opponent, but she leapt back, out of his range. Tifa shot forward and delivered a bone-shattering blow to Zell's chin. The blonde fell back onto his back in the middle of the street. The people surrounding the battle gasped when they heard the crack.

Zell sat up slowly and propped himself up on his palm, rubbing his chin with his right hand. He looked like he was severely uncomfortable. Tifa stood over him and gave him a confused look.

"I thought that you'd put up more of a fight than that," she said. "Zangan's students are some of the best martial artists in the world. You'll have to do better than that."

Zell's left eye, closed from the pain his jaw was feeling, opened. "You're right."

Tifa nodded and saw the slightest shift in weight in Zell's legs. At the last moment, Tifa flew into a backflip just as Zell's right leg swept across the ground where her feet had been moments before. Zell leapt to his feet again and threw out a fist. Tifa blocked it with her left forearm, but Zell was quick to follow through, delivering a knee to the woman's stomach. Tifa grunted and stumbled back, her hand momentarily clutching her abdomen. She ducked underneath a roundhouse from her opponent and delivered an uppercut to his already-tender jaw. Zell used the upward momentum from the punch to fly into a backward scissor kick, delivering two separate blows to Tifa's bosom. Tifa cried out and flew back a few feet in more surprise than pain.

Zell landed neatly on his feet, a dribble of blood running down his chin from a cut lip. Tifa was disoriented from her center of gravity being shifted around, but she reoriented on Zell and threw herself at him. Zell dodged her first two punches, but was taken by surprise by a sudden drop by his opponent. Sweeping her leg out, Tifa was able to knock Zell off-balance. He toppled backward over her leg, but he was able to correct himself just in time to avoid a massive roundhouse from his opponent. This time the uppercut came from Zell. Aiming for Tifa's chin, Zell missed his target as his opponent shifted her weight so that the fist slammed into the underside of her right arm. Pain shot up and down Tifa's arm, but she ignored it by gritting her teeth. She pulled down on her arm, trapping Zell's fist against her side. Tifa brought up her leg and slammed her sneaker into the side of Zell's face. Zell's body wanted to slump to the ground, but Tifa yanked up with her right shoulder, pulling her opponent back up. Tifa readied herself and sent her right knee towards Zell's face, but Zell used his free arm to knock it away, pushing her leg out uncomfortably. Tifa let go of Zell's arm to accommodate her stance. She stumbled back, out of his reach.

Zell rose to his feet and set himself in a fighting stance once more. "Better?" he asked, the grin attempting to return to his face, but failing due to his swollen lip.

Tifa rubbed the inside of her knee and readied herself. "A little. Ready for the next level?" she asked.

Zell's grin was successful this time, although painful. "Absolutely."

The people surrounding the battle were staring in awe, now, as the fighters contemplated becoming more serious about an already riveting competition.

Zell flew forward, his fists a blur. Tifa took the blows as Zell slammed his gloved fists into her three times, each time a harder blow than the last. Zell then grabbed Tifa by the head and slammed his head against hers. Disoriented, Tifa stumbled back. Zell flew forward again, his fist a blur. Delivering a devastating uppercut, Zell sent Tifa flying into the air. Zell ran up under her and leapt into the air, grabbing his opponent and falling to the ground. Still disoriented, Tifa was unable to retaliate as Zell grabbed her by the ankles and began to spin, his opponent's body flying out from his own as centrifugal force took hold of her body.

"Here…" Zell began, "you…" the spinning gained velocity "GO!"

Zell released Tifa's legs, sending her flying through the air towards the 7th Heaven. Specifically, the front wall of the 7th Heaven.

_You gonna let him do that to you?_

Tifa's eyes snapped open and she immediately knew where she was, and where she was headed.

_I hope she doesn't get too hurt, I wanna win, not kill her,_ Zell thought, watching his opponent sail through the air towards the building.

_Tap-tap._

Zell's eyes went wide as Tifa flipped head over heels and landed on the side of the building safely. Her feet were placed flat-soled on the side of the building, her left hand placed palm-down on the wall as if it were there for balance. The moment dragged on as the kinetic energy from the throw found its way from Tifa's body into the wall. Tifa's hair flowed out from the wall like some magnificent tapestry, and her eyes found their way to Zell.

Tifa pushed off the wall with her powerful legs, shooting through the air. Soaring through the air, Tifa saw Zell's form rushing up at her as she sped towards him. Zell put up both forearms to block as Tifa's right arm shot forward. Smashing into his forearms, Tifa pushed through his defense and slammed him in the nose, inevitably breaking it. Zell flew back from the sheer force of the blow, and Tifa hit the ground running. Matching Zell's backward movement's speed, Tifa grabbed Zell's arms and tossed him into the air. Tifa went forward into a handstand and spread her legs. She wrapped her legs around Zell's waist and twisted at her shoulders, throwing him into the ground. Standing up on top of him, Tifa reached down and grabbed Zell by the collar of his jacket. She pulled him to his feet and pushed him away from her. Zell stumbled for a moment, but it didn't last, because Tifa rushed forward with a quick succession of powerful punches to Zell's midriff. She grabbed him by the shoulders and steadied him directly before performing a backflip, mimicking Zell's scissor kick from before. Tifa recovered from the attack before Zell hit the ground, and she delivered a quick sweep that flew into the air and smashed the male fistfighter from the side, sending him flying. Tifa followed him once more, grabbing him in midair and throwing him forcefully into the ground. Tifa landed not too far away and brushed her hair back behind her ear. She turned to Zell's body and gave it a disgusted look.

"I still can't believe that you thought you could take on a Zangan student," she growled.

Zell struggled to lift himself to his hands and knees. "We're…"

Tifa's eyes went wide. He was still conscious? Impressive.

"We're not done…yet," Zell stammered, slowly making his way to his feet.

"I think we are," Tifa muttered, turning her back to Zell and heading towards her bar again.

"Stop."

Tifa stopped moving and turned her head to look out the corner of her eye at Zell.

"Quit runnin'," Zell said. He took a rather weak-looking stance.

Tifa turned to Zell and shook her head. "I can't believe you. You have a swollen lip, a broken nose, at least two broken ribs, possibly more, and you still want to fight me? We're through, Zell!" she cried.

Zell was breathing heavily. "No," he answered. His blue eyes were flashing dangerously.

Tifa suddenly saw a coalescence of light surround Zell's body. His gloved hands glowed a bright blue which spread throughout his body. When the glowing faded, his nose was realigned and his lip had returned to normal size. "Magic?" Tifa asked incredulously. She was amazed – a martial artist that used Magic? Did that mean…?

"Who was your sensei, Zell?" Tifa asked, returning to a fighting position.

"So now it sinks in," Zell said with a laugh. "Our styles are so similar, yet it took an act of Magic for you to realize that we were trained by the same man. Yep. I'm a student of Zangan."

"He's still alive?" Tifa cried. "Tell me where!"

Zell grinned. "You'll have to beat me first."

Tifa stared at the teenager, shocked. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You bastard!" she cried, lunging forward.

Zell dodged left, narrowly missing a palm to the face. The blonde ducked underneath a roundhouse and came up with an uppercut that was met halfway by an open palm that caught it before it reached its target. Zell threw his body's weight behind his captured arm, throwing Tifa off-balance. Tifa used the momentum into a backflip, releasing Zell's arm. The brunette finished her acrobatic feat in a defensive position as Zell rushed at her again.

Tifa fell to the floor and threw her leg out in a wide arc. Zell anticipated such a move, however, and leapt over her limb and flew into a forward somersault over her head. Landing behind her, Zell twisted about and brought his foot up near his head. Letting gravity do its work, Zell's leg shot straight down and slammed into Tifa's crown. With a cry, the brunette rolled forward. Halfway through the roll, Tifa threw her legs out and grabbed Zell around the waist. Using the momentum from her roll, Tifa threw Zell to the ground, releasing him instantly. She rolled backwards onto her feet and threw a left hook out towards the rising Zell, slamming her fist into his right cheek. The blonde went flying and slammed to the ground again, but he used the punch's force to rolled onto his feet, similar to Tifa's maneuver.

"Not bad," Zell muttered. He charged forward, his fist beginning to glow a strange red color. Tifa dodged it and latched her arm around Zell's elbow. She pinned his arm to her body and kneed the blonde in the gut. Tifa let herself fall backwards, throwing Zell across the street. Zell landed on his feet due to an impressive turn in midair. The glowing surrounding his fist intensified as he slammed it into the ground. A great crack shot forth, closing the gap between the two fighters very quickly. The red glow enveloped the interior of the crack as it sped forward.

_What is that?_ Tifa screamed to herself as she dodged to the side. Despite her efforts, the crack followed her movements and turned sharply, the red glow continuing to flow through the growing menace.

The small chasm finally reached Tifa and exploded upward as the energy exploded out from within the crack. The force blew Tifa straight into the air, making her completely defenseless against the ensuing bombardment of energy that followed from the eruption. With a scream, Tifa felt her skin as if it were on fire as the energy blew her out of its own line of fire. The woman flew backward through the air and slammed into a wall, falling to the ground. She struggled to her hands and knees and looked up. Her eyes went wide and she fell backwards as a sneakered foot slammed into the ground where she had been moments before.

Zell then began to stomp his way towards Tifa, the female fighter barely managing to avoid his brutish offense. Tifa rolled away and rolled away, only to have to roll again to avoid Zell's foot. Finally, Tifa tired of this. Instead of rolling, she used the momentum that would have manifested in a roll to breakdance, her legs going wild in the air. Zell was caught by surprise by this tactic, and as Tifa's legs slammed into his own, he fell to the ground. Before he knew what was happening, however, Tifa had grabbed Zell's jacket and had righted him.

Similar to earlier, Tifa delivered a volley of blows to Zell's midriff, followed by a great backflip, connecting both feet with his chin. Zell stumbled back and was taken down by a swift sweep across the ground by Tifa's right leg. Tifa spun around, using the momentum from the sweep to stand up. Before Zell hit the ground, she grabbed him by the jacket and threw her weight backwards, picking him up over her head in a suplex. Tifa slammed his head onto the street, but she wasn't finished. She brought Zell up to his feet and delivered a massive uppercut to his chin, sending him flying back. Tifa shot underneath him and leapt into the air, catching Zell in midair, sending the both of them higher than he thought a person could ever jump. Tifa twisted in midair, rocketing Zell towards the ground. Zell hit the street on his backside with a loud crack. Tifa landed next to him and idly walked up next to him, grabbed him by the jacket once more, and pulled him to his feet.

"Where's Zangan?" Tifa asked. Her eyes had taken on an eerie glow and she looked positively pissed.

"Not…done yet," Zell gasped, blood trickling from a busted lip once more.

"I thought you'd say that," Tifa said, her already angry face turning dark.

Tifa brought up a fist that seemed to teem with a strange energy that Zell had never seen before. The female martial artist reared the arm back, seeming to duplicate its number, as a trail of arms was visible from the unique energy. Before Zell knew it, a fist had connected with his nose. That was painful, but it was just a punch. The energy, however, found its way inside Zell's body and the blonde suddenly felt as if his insides were being ripped apart. Tifa jumped back as Zell screamed and energy built up in his fists. He fell to the ground, but as soon as he touched the street, the energy stored in his hands detonated, sending the blonde flying backwards into a wall. He slammed into it hard and fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

Tifa's hardened expression softened and she ran over to Zell. She leaned down to inspect him and her brow furrowed in worry. _I think I overdid it_, she cried inside her head. "Cid!" she yelled.

The airship pilot appeared from inside the 7th Heaven immediately, spear at the ready. "What's up, Princess?" he demanded.

Tifa picked Zell up by his shoulders and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "We need medical attention," Tifa replied, looking pleadingly at the pilot.

Cid nodded, his cigarette smoking nonchalantly, and he turned into the bar. Tifa slowly made her way with Zell into the bar and upstairs to Cloud's bedroom. She lay Zell there to rest and recuperate.

"What did you do to the kid?" Cid asked with a strange green stone in his hands. He flipped it to Tifa, who pushed it into the palm of her hand. It merged with her glove and a strange mist emerged from the contact point before dissipating.

"He wanted a fight," Tifa replied, spreading the fingers of the equipped hand. "I gave him one." She put her arm out over Zell and concentrated on the stone that was now inside her hand. Her arm began to glow a beautiful blue as a warm, healing aura spread out and took over Zell's body. He glowed for a few minutes, and when the light dimmed, his eyes fluttered open.

Zell sat up and rubbed his head. His swollen lip had returned to normal and his bruises had vanished. He looked over at Tifa. "Nice fight," he said with a weak smile. "You really are Zangan's."

Tifa smirked and removed the stone from her glove. She handed it to Cid, who took it out of the room and back to storage. "So," she said to Zell. "Where's Zangan?"

"Old man's hiding out up north," Zell replied. "Icicle Inn, I think. Somewhere on the northern continent."

Tifa contemplated. She hadn't seen Zangan in years. It'd be great to see him again. "I think I might go see him," she said with a smile. "Are you okay?"

Zell rubbed his chin and laughed. "I'll make it. You're definitely one of Zangan's girls, though. You kicked my ass but good."

Tifa shrugged. "I was his prized pupil."

"You still are, from what I understand," Zell said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "That's why I wanted to beat you. I wanted to prove that I was Zangan's strongest student. Guess I have a little ways to go, still."

Tifa smiled again. "You're a great martial artist," she said. "In a couple years, I'll be too old to do this stuff anymore, and you'll definitely be on top. Or," she added, turning around to head out the door. She stopped at the doorframe and turned her head to look out the corner of her eye back at the blonde. "Or, you could train your hardest and hope to beat me before that." She grinned and headed downstairs.

Zell blinked for a moment and he grinned. Was that a challenge?

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Woot! Not too bad if I do say so myself. Although I definitely think that fight scenes are one of my strong points. :D Hope you enjoyed. I might actually make this into a sub-series. Who knows. R&R please! 


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